The Smile Squad: ‘Peddling’ good feelings

“We decided to go visit all our pickleball friends, and it sort of grew from there,” said Jeannie Wagner.

Dogs continue to be Hollywood stars

Animated or live-action, films featuring dogs remain a big part of Hollywood movie-making

Marco Island hotels nominated for readers’ choice awards

Condé Nast Traveler announced its nominees for the magazines annual Readers’ Choice awards. Marco Island was nominated in the “Best Island” category, and Naples was nominated as a candidate for “Best City.”

12 rules you should follow if you’re ordering groceries

Demand for home delivery of groceries has risen with the economic shutdown and shelter-in-place orders instituted during the coronavirus pandemic.

Cape Cod girl donates medals to Marco police department

Nine-year-old Caoimhe Assad raised money for Saint Michael medals for member of the Marco Island police department.

Combating the COVID-19 crisis with cash

Four Marco women leaders are making it their mission to combat Covid-19 misery head on with financial support for people struggling to make ends meet.

Marco students use 3D printers to make masks

Johnathan Watt, a junior at Marco Island Academy, did not think it twice to lead a mask making project using 3D printers when the opportunity came up.

Marco students accept ‘quarantine challenge’

In times of coronavirus and social distancing, a Marco Island teacher challenged his students to write short plays in 48 hours to perform online.

When coronavirus canceled a bride’s Marco Island wedding, she improvised

Kaitlyn Hall and Travis Wendel had planned for their dream wedding to take place on Marco Island. But with the outbreak of coronavirus, they decided to cancel the wedding and instead have a backyard wedding.

Sew to soul: Making masks to meet demand

Between locations in Massachusetts and Naples, Johnston estimates that Sew Easy has taught 21,000 young ladies the art of sewing.

Golden Gate sculptor carves new life from pain

Gilbert Sanchez wouldn’t be creating art in his backyard if it wasn’t for the accident that nearly took his life.

Teacher blown away by students’ efforts to help his dog diagnosed with cancer

Marco Island Academy students raised thousands of dollars to cover surgery costs of their English teacher's dog after it was diagnosed with cancer.

Teen dons fish tail to spread joy

Summer Joy Hill decided to help by putting a smile on people’s faces. And she’s doing it by being a mermaid.

East Naples woman, 83, searches landfill for lost wedding ring

Nearly a month after Ann DeVries got her wedding ring back, she still treats the band with extreme caution.

Sarah Jessica Parker turns 55: Style Diary

Wet Paint Live: 15 artistic views in a day

Around the island, 15 talented area artists fanned out, each choosing a spot to set up an easel and produce a painting “en plein air."

Photos: HydroClean Environmental Solutions

21 hours ago

Honor. Remember. Never forget.

First established as Decoration Day after the Civil War, Memorial Day is a federal holiday for honoring and mourning the military personnel

| 1 day ago

Pharmacist: Help with age-related macular degeneration

If you’ve ever cooked using saffron spice, you know that this unique spice is flavorful and aromatic.

Pharmacist: Natural blood thinners

Sadly, we’re hearing more about strokes and blood clots lately.

Photos: Smile Squad, 2020

Gardening: The fertilizer deadline nears

June is fast approaching and if you have not yet completed your spring fertilizing you need to get it done.

Our Daily Bread seeing a spike in need

With the economy largely ground to a halt, the need for food assistance has grown drastically.

Photos: Our Daily Bread, May 2020

Pharmacist: Immune benefits of Andrographis

People are starting to think outside the pill as they shelter-in-place and look online for herbs and vitamins that support immune function.

Pharmacist: Sanitation and facts about sneezing

If you’re out somewhere getting groceries for example, don’t sneeze. If you do, you might be taking your life into your hands.

Y maintains community help, health focus

Although its doors are mostly closed, the heart of the YMCA of South Collier (Marco Y) stays open.

Gardening: Play it cool with the rising heat

Whew! Summer temperatures are here early. Just walking from the house to the car is grueling.

Pharmacist: Skullcap root for immunity and sleep

You may not have heard of it until today, however, this plant has grown on the Earth for eons, and it has well-documented medicinal actions.

Chef Asif donating 300 meals weekly

Chef Asif Syed of 21 Spices on East Tamiami Trail in Naples has decided to donate 100 meals three days a week to the community.

Friends of Rookery Bay announces honors

Myra Janco Daniels served as honorary chair of the signature event that raises funds to support education.

Empty beach, Marco sunrise service goes virtual

At daybreak on Sunday, along the Gulf of Mexico shoreline, it was a morning like any other morning, but an Easter unlike any other Easter.

Photos: Empty beach on Easter Sunday, 2020

Pharmacist: We are resilient like tulips

Last week, I received more than a dozen requests to write about stress and anxiety.

Collier schools cancels all high school proms

The rite of passage is canceled for Collier's Class of 2020.

SWFL’s hotels are reeling from hurt of coronavirus

Hotels are considered "essential businesses" in the governor's order, which means they would be allowed to stay open. But many have closed, including the two Ritz-Carltons in Naples and the Naples Beach Hotel.

Southwest Florida hospitals brace for coronavirus surge

The demand on staff, hospital beds, ICUs and ventilators is expected to peak statewide April 21, though Southwest Florida may get an extra week or so to prepare.

Gardening: The flowering trees of Florida

In sub-tropical Florida we have shrubs and trees which provide us with flowers all year.

Photos: Making masks on Marco

SWFL rabbis look to their congregation’s needs this Passover

Jewish clergy are sharpening  techno-tools to work with communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. They face their biggest test with Passover, April 8.